Canonical’s Ubuntu is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions around, but it’s easy to forget that there is a wealth of alternatives built on the same user-friendly base – including, most famously, the KDE-based Kubuntu. While the back end of the OS is identical in both cases, the interface couldn’t be more different.

Kubuntu 10.10, also known by the same codename as Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat,’ differs from its parent distribution by ditching the GNOME interface for KDE – and while it’s very much a case of personal preference as to which you prefer, the latest KDE build brings some fascinating new features which users can explore in the Live CD or Live USB environments.